High Traction Crampon

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed toward a crampon for use with a shoe to provide enhanced traction with the ground. The crampon comprises at least one sole member removably interconnected to the shoe and disposed adjacent a sole thereof. The sole member comprises at least one cavity extending at least partially therethrough. At least one traction element for gripping the ground is removably interconnected to the sole member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed toward a crampon having removabletraction elements for providing enhanced traction, particularly inoutdoor environments.

Description of the Related Art

Hiking, fishing, mountaineering and other activities are very popularforms of recreation, but are fraught with challenges—particularly in thewinter months. Uneven, slippery of often icy ground makes traversing thewilderness perilous without proper equipment. For those who earn theirliving in such an environment, the recreational challenge is replacedwith workplace hazard.

Therefore, a crampon is commonly used to enhance traction. Crampons aretypically strapped to footwear and incorporate teeth for gripping theterrain. However, there are limitations. Crampons are unsuitable forterrain other than what a particular crampon was designed for, whichdoes not take into account the variations in wilderness terrain.Traction on slippery rocks near and in rivers and streams demandsdifferent performance from traction on other surfaces, such as ice, mud,dirt, or leaves. Moreover, outdoor activities often require traversingmultiple such surfaces. For example, an angler looking to fish from acanoe will often have had to hike through steep, rocky terrain followedby smooth wet rocks, each of which necessitates a different solution toretain traction. Furthermore, carrying multiple types of crampons, whichcan be heavy, is impractical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The crampon device according to the invention described herein comprisesremovable, interchangeable traction elements that can be disposedthroughout the surface that engages the terrain. Consequently, thetraction elements can be exchanged as the wearer traverses differentterrain, eliminating the need for carrying additional crampons orsacrificing traction in the wilderness environment.

The crampon comprises a sole member removably interconnected to a shoe,such as by a system of straps or ties. The sole member comprises atleast one cavity extending at least partially therethrough. A tractionelement is inserted at least partially into the cavity so as to beremovably retained thereby. Accordingly, a traction element may bequickly removed in the field and replaced with a traction element havingdiffering traction facilitating properties, such as shape or length. Inat least one embodiment, the traction elements are arranged tofacilitate traction, such as in rows and/or columns. They may also bespaced such that they impede debris, such as leaves, twigs, etc., frombecoming trapped between the traction elements.

The sole member further comprises a heel member and a toe member, eachof which is interconnected with an opposing end of an interconnectingmember. The heel member and/or the toe member is movable along thelength of the interconnecting member to facilitate adjustments to thelength of the crampon and better adapt it for attachment to the wearer'sshoe.

The sole member may further comprise at least one pick disposed adjacentthe outer edge of the sole member to provide greater traction,particularly when traversing steep terrain.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become clearer when the drawings as well as the detaileddescription are taken into consideration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of an embodiment of the present invention asremovably attached to a wearer's shoe.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a tractionelement removed from the crampon to expose the cavity therein.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Both the foregoing general description and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictiveof the invention claimed. As used herein, “or” means “and/or” unlessexpressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the use of the singularincludes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise, and use of theterm “including” as well as other forms, such as “includes,” and“included,” shall not be considered limiting.

The embodiment 10 according to the present invention comprises a solemember 40. The sole member 40 is disposed adjacent the sole 2 of a shoe1 work by the user. The sole member 40 is removably retained to the shoe1 by way of a series of straps 8 that engage the shoe 1. Removal of thestraps 8 from the shoe 1 enables the removal of the sole member 40 andthereby the crampon 20 from the shoe 1.

The sole member 40 has a top surface 40 a that abuts the sole 2 of theshoe 1 when in use by a wearer, such as when hiking or otherwisetraversing an environment. The bottom surface 40 b of the sole member 40faces the environment being traversed.

As described in further detail below, traction elements 20 are disposedthroughout at least a portion of the sole member 40. The tractionelements 20 are removably interconnected to the sole member.Accordingly, traction elements 20 can be interchanged with alternateelements while in the field, or can be individually replaced when onehas worn beyond its useful lifespan. The traction elements 20 protrudesubstantially in the direction of the terrain for the purpose ofenhancing traction by gripping the terrain.

In addition, traction elements 20 may be arranged in columns alignedwith the length of the sole member 40, i.e. from the portion adjacentthe toe 1 a of the shoe 1 to the heel 1 b of the shoe. Additionally oralternatively, the traction elements 20 may be arranged in rows that runlaterally across the width of the sole member 40. The traction elements20 may also be disposed in equivalently spaced relation relative to oneanother. In at least one embodiment, the spacing between adjacenttraction elements 20 is sufficiently narrow to substantially preventdebris, such as sticks, rocks, etc., from becoming lodged among thetraction elements 20.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the depicted embodiment comprisespicks 30 disposed adjacent an outer edge 45, i.e. perimeter, of the solemember. The picks 30 extend outward in a direction opposite the shoe 1to assist in engaging the terrain, particularly when traversing steepinclines. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment the picks 30 extendobliquely relative to the bottom surface 14 b of the sole member 40.

FIG. 2 demonstrates the structure by which a traction element 20 isremovably secured to the sole member 40. A cavity 50 extends at leastpartially through the sole member 40. The traction element 20 comprisesa first end 20 a adapted for insertion at least partially within thecavity 50. This may be facilitated by way of threads 22 about a surfaceof the first end 20 a. The cavity 50 is correspondingly structured toreceive the first end 20 a and retain it with sufficient strength suchthat the traction element 20 does not dislodge during normal use.However, the traction element 20 is removable from the cavity 50 tofacilitate its replacement.

The second end 20 b of the traction element 20 is structured to engagethe terrain. Accordingly the second end 20 b may be formed into a spike.The length of the second end 20 b may vary based on the type of terrainto be traversed. For example, longer spikes may be desirable whentraversing icy terrain, while shorter spikes may be more useful fornon-icy terrain.

The sole member 40 comprises a toe member 12 disposed adjacent a toeportion 1 a of the shoe 1 and a heel member 14 disposed adjacent a heelportion 1 b of the shoe. An interconnecting member 16 a is disposedbetween the toe and heel members 12, 14. A first end 16 a of theinterconnecting member 16 is interconnected with the toe member 12. Asecond end 16 b of the interconnecting member 16, opposite the first end16 a, is interconnected with the heel member 14. The interconnectingmember 16 is inserted in the toe and heel members 12, 14 and securedthereto. One or both of the toe and heel members 12, 14 may be movablealong the length of the interconnecting member 16 to facilitateadjustments to the overall length of the sole member 40. Thus,adjustment of the length of the sole member 40 facilitates itsattachment to the shoe 1.

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be madeto the described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intendedthat all matters in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined bythe appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Now that the invention has been described,

What is claimed is:
 1. A crampon for use with a shoe to provide enhancedtraction with the ground, said crampon comprising: at least one solemember removably interconnected to the shoe and disposed adjacent a solethereof, wherein said sole member comprises at least one cavityextending at least partially therethrough, and at least one tractionelement for gripping the ground removably interconnected to said solemember.
 2. The crampon of claim 1, said traction element comprising afirst end inserted at least partially within said cavity.
 3. The cramponof claim 2, wherein said insertion of said first end at least partiallyinto said cavity forms a securing relationship sufficient to retain saidsecond end at least partially in said cavity when said traction elementengages the ground.
 4. The crampon of claim 3, wherein said first endcomprises threading disposed about a surface thereof to facilitate saidsecuring relationship with said cavity.
 5. The crampon of claim 2, saidtraction element comprising a second end extending at least partiallyaway from said sole member for engaging the ground.
 6. The crampon ofclaim 5, said traction element comprising a second end extendingsubstantially away from said sole member for engagement with the ground.7. The crampon of claim 1, wherein said sole member further comprises atleast one pick extending at least partially away from the sole of theshoe.
 8. The crampon of claim 7 wherein said pick is disposed adjacentan outer edge of said sole member.
 9. The crampon of claim 1, whereinsaid sole member further comprises a plurality of picks extending atleast partially away from the sole of the shoe.
 10. The crampon of claim9 wherein said pick is disposed adjacent an outer edge of said solemember.
 11. A crampon for use with a shoe to provide enhanced tractionwith the ground, said crampon comprising: at least one sole memberremovably interconnected to the shoe and disposed adjacent a solethereof, said sole member having a top surface adjacent the sole of theshoe and an opposing bottom surface, said bottom surface comprising aplurality of cavities extending at least partially through said solemember, and a plurality of traction elements each having a first endremovably inserted into a corresponding cavity to form a securingrelationship therewith.
 12. The crampon of claim 11, wherein saidtraction elements are disposed in equivalently spaced relation relativeto one another.
 13. The crampon of claim 11 wherein said tractionelements are arranged to form rows aligned with the width of the solemember.
 14. The crampon of claim 11 wherein said traction elements arearranged to form columns aligned with the length of the sole member. 15.A crampon removably attached to a shoe for providing enhanced tractionwith the ground, said crampon comprising: a sole member comprising a toemember and heel member, said toe member having a top surface disposedadjacent a toe portion of the shoe and a bottom surface oppositetherefrom, said toe member comprising a plurality of cavities extendingat least partially therethrough, said heel member having a top surfacedisposed adjacent a heel portion of the shoe and a bottom surfaceopposite therefrom, said heel member comprising a plurality of cavitiesextending at least partially therethrough, a plurality of tractionelements each having a first end removably inserted into correspondingones of the cavities in said heel member and said toe member so as toform a securing relationship therewith, and a connecting member having afirst end interconnected to said toe member and a second endinterconnected to said heel member.
 16. The crampon of claim 15 whereinsaid toe member is movable along a length of said connecting member. 17.The crampon of claim 16 wherein movement of said toe member along saidconnecting member changes the length of said sole member.
 18. Thecrampon of claim 15 wherein said heel member is movable along a lengthof said connecting member.
 19. The crampon of claim 18 wherein movementof said heel member along said connecting member changes the length ofsaid sole member.